Certificate in Designing Effective Section 504 Programs

This course provides a foundational overview of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 enforced by the Office for Civil Rights. All stakeholders can benefit from this course to include parents, teachers, and school administrators to ensure compliance with the federal mandate in eliminating discrimination on the basis of disability against students with disabilities. A critical component of this course is the deconstruction of the Protecting Students With Disabilities document developed by the Office for Civil Rights to explain the evaluation, eligibility, placement, and procedural safeguards for students with disabilities.

Additionally, this course outlines practical solutions to address educational concerns regarding students with disabilities. Stakeholders can utilize this strategies to develop a vision for educational equity for students with disabilities and designing inclusive systems to expand the teacher's toolkit of differentiation of instructional strategies, learner unique accommodations, parental participation, and the school administrator's action plan for integrating procedures for the implementation of an effective section 504 program indicative of equal access and a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all students with disabilities. Finally, resources for school personnel to assist with data-driven decision-making, response to intervention, accommodation selection, conflict resolution, and monitoring with fidelity are captured in this worthwhile course.